Princess Of The Stars And Dragon Of Fire
by Princess Night Tiger
Summary: Natsu missed how the guild used to be, but he was also lonely. Lucy was stuck in a large prison and longed for a real family. When a meddling bar keep chose to speed things up, the Dragon Slayer went to find the one person who might always accept him. A prequel to Home, Love, and Dragons. Rated M for mature language and content.
1. Bored, Why Not Kidnap A Princess

Chapter 1

Bored? Why Not Kidnap a Princess?

Natsu was bored. There was nothing going on in the guild anymore. Ever since the girls started showing up he hadn't been able to fight much anymore. Even though he'd gotten a new person to try to beat, Erza, he'd lost almost ten. Not even Gajeel was fighting him much anymore. The only one he did get to fight was Gray, but every time they started to get into it Erza would glare at them.

When Alzack first brought Bisca, it opened the flood gate. Suddenly every single guy in the guild just had to go to that place and bring back someone new. Only Natsu and Gajeel had yet to go, though Laxus was the only one who'd come back alone, but Natsu had no intentions of going anyway. He didn't want or need a girl in his life.

He was debating getting a job when an itch on his side. It was a flash of heat. Just as he reached for the area, a rough hand grabbed his wrist.

"That won't help," Gajeel told him as Laxus and him sat down. "How old are you, 18, 19? I'd say you got about a week before your season starts." The blond nodded his head in agreement.

Natsu was confused. He cocked his head to the side, "I don't know. Igneel never celebrated birthdays, so I'm not sure how old I am, and what season are you talking about?"

The two Dragon Slayers exchanged a look. "What did Igneel tell you about mates? Did he explain what would happen after your eighteenth birthday?"

The pinkette just shook his head, still not understanding where they were going.

Laxus seemed a bit shocked at hearing that, "Shit. So you don't know anything."

Gajeel took over, "It's pretty simple, the first spring after you turn 18 your body will start calling out for your mate. If you find her, you'll be in for a weeks worth of sex, only stopping for food and sleep. If not, you need to get away from everyone, 'cause you'll be goin' after every chick you come across. This'll be the hardest, since it's your first, so you need to find yourself a place to hole up in the next couple of days."

Natsu's head was spinning. It's not like he was stupid, he knew about women and sex, he just wasn't attracted to most of them. To be fair, he wasn't really interested in anyone, the last person he'd liked was Lisanna, but he hadn't felt the same way since she'd come back. The thought that he'd find this mate was almost funny, but as he looked around the guild, taking in all the happy couples, he thought it might be nice to have someone that was his.

Laxus explained a few more things but he wasn't listening. Mirajane showed up and cut him off, "What are you all talking about?"

Natsu caught a whiff of something, something sweet with a kick, like spice cake. He grabbed her arms and began smelling the young woman, or more accurately, the shirt she was wearing. It wasn't hers.

He let her go as he felt himself starting to lose control. Flames erupted from his hands and he ran from the guild hall. The only person who followed him was Happy. By the time he made it to the park, the flames had gone out, and he was able to think more clearly. The pinkett walked to the tallest tree and sat at it's base.

"Natsu, what's going on?" the small blue exceed asked in a quiet voice. He crawled into the dragon slayers lap. "Don't you want to find your mate?"

Natsu smirked at his buddy, "Naw, that's not it. The shirt Mira was wearing, there was something on it, a smell, it made me lose control. I'm guessing it belonged to my mate, but I don't know what to do."

The pair sat there, not talking, just taking it in. Natsu spent hours thinking, trying to figure out what he should do. He watched numerous couples walk by, and he found himself wanting that, the companionship. Though he didn't think he'd be able to openly make out in public like some of the couples did.

Sick of sitting and doing nothing, Natsu started walking towards the woods outside of town. He didn't know where he was going, or if he even wanted to find this girl, but he let his feet carry him. Happy riding on his shoulder.

"Where are we going?"

"When I know, you'll know."

They wandered the edge of the forest, never going more than ten feet in. Before they knew it, the sun was setting and Natsu turned to head back to home.

Just as he turned to walk away, the wind picked up, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms. He took off, following the wind. Happy clung to him as they practically flew through the trees.

All thoughts stopped, all he could do was run. He was at the edge of the property in under twenty minutes.

_Holy shit! It's huge. _There were four towers, each ten stories high, they created a square layout. It was made out of simple gray stone, five stories tall, with a pitched roof. The front entrance was about the size of the guild's, but the door was fancier. Each floor had a wrap around balcony that would break at the towers and start again at the side.

The thing that caught Natsu's eye, however, wasn't in the architecture, it was a bright flash of yellow against the darker gray. She was standing on the second floor, looking up at the sky.

If he were anyone else, he probably wouldn't have been able to see her at all, but since he had heightened senses he could almost every detail. Her hair was blonde, her eyes brown. She had figure similar to many of the other guild women, with wide hips, a small waist, and the largest breasts he'd seen to date. _She's fucking hot._

He heard someone approaching from behind, so he sunk into the shadows. It was a man, with dark blue hair and a strange tattoo over his right eye. He was wearing a bunch of rings and his clothes were way too flashy.

Natsu had no idea who the guy was, but he already hated him, there was something off about the way he smelled.

He strode into the castle like he own it, and a couple of minutes later, the blonde went inside. The Dragon Slayer almost went in himself, but chose to wait and listen. _Hopefully, I'll get to beat the crap out of someone and grab the girl._

Lucy was so freaking bored. There was nothing to do in the damn prison. She'd been there over a year, ever since she'd tried to run away from her abusive father.

When she had tried to escape that terrible house, she'd been caught, and her father chose to send her here. He said she could rot there until he found a suitable husband for her, and by suitable he meant someone who could help him in some way, not someone who she would chose for herself. So far, she'd had over fifteen "suitors," not one had made it past the first meeting.

Apparently, her father wanted to make a deal and he needed her for it. His choice for her had been the first of her visitors, but she'd run him off. When she did that, her father sent out a request; any man that could get her out would be paid handsomely. After she heard that, Lucy almost peed her pants she was laughing so hard.

Lucy moved to the balcony just off her bedroom.

There were only three women left in the castle, and each of them took a floor. Levy had picked the third floor because that had the best library access. Kendra chose the ground floor, so she she could meet with possible suitors more easily. Lucy went with the second floor for it's balconies. They were the widest and offered the best view of the stars.

That was her best escape, star gazing. That night was as clear as possible, and she loved it. Before her mother passed, they would spend whole nights just watching the skies. It was probably the thing she missed most about her mom, their love of stars.

Lucy learned magic from her, all of her keys came from her, and most of all, Lucy learned about compassion from her.

She pulled out her gate keys. The first ones she inspected were silver: Crux the Southern Cross, Lyra the lyre, and Horologium the Clock. They were the ones she'd had about a year before her mom died, The others: Taurus the Golden Bull, Cancer the Crab, and Aquarius the Waterbearer, she got after her passing.

When she figured out how to escape from that place, and she would find out how, she planned on finding the rest of the golden gate keys, no matter how long it would take. She felt that it would be the best way to stay connected to her mother.

Lucy glanced down at the tree line and saw what she had been dreading the whole day. There was a man, she couldn't see much, but she could tell by the way he walked that he was an asshole. All the men that showed up there were. Just as she turned to head down to the entrance, she caught a flash of pink, but it was gone before she could get a good look.

Before she went downstairs, Lucy made sure she was wearing something that would send the right message. Her shirt was simple, a white button down with a blue cross on the front. She was wearing a shortish, blue skirt. Her keys and whipped were secured.

She finally made it down the stairs, making sure to ignore the man, instead she headed to where Kendra was standing.

"Who's this guy and what's his deal?"

Kendra smirked, "He said he was called Salamander and that he was from the Wizard guild Fairy Tail, but when I asked him to show the guild mark he refused. Also, his magic is mostly contained in his rings, the real Salamander is a Fire Dragon Slayer. Give this jackass hell."

"Gladly."

She it so she was in a resting bitch face and turned around.

He was decent looking, but not really her type. There was a cocky air settled around him. He eyed her up and down and from the look on his face he liked what he saw. _Oh, this is going to be fun._

"Oh, hello," she spoke with a dull voice. "Did my father send you?"

"Yes, of course," his voice wasn't bad, but Lucy thought he was trying too hard to be smooth and he wasn't pulling it off.

"How much is it up to now?"

"Ten million jewel." _At least he's honest. _"But that's not why I'm here. I heard you were a very beautiful young woman and I just had to meet you." _Or maybe not._

"Uh-huh, sure," she noticed that one of his rings had a heart on it. "And is that what the charm spell is for? To convince me to come with you? Sorry hun, been there, done that, got the crappy t-shirt to prove it. Try again."

The more she spoke the more pissed off he looked. It was obvious he was expecting an easy grab, and by now it was obvious that she wasn't going to let him get off easy. Quite honestly, she knew from the first second she'd met him, that she would never leave with him.

The man quickly glanced over at Kendra, then he rushed Lucy, grabbing her arms tightly. "Listen up you little bitch. You are coming with me and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Apparently, he really underestimated her. She reared back and kneed him in the crotch. He fell back, letting her go. Lucy grabbed her whip to keep him at bay.

"No, you listen, you prick. I'm not going anywhere with you, and there's nothing you can do to make me."

Kendra applauded in the background. Lucy knew that she stayed out of it so she could take him out. It would be more satisfying if she could be the one to take him down a peg. The brunette loved helping the girls learn their strengths.

The man wasn't nearly as pleased as the women. He twisted on of his rings and fire came out. His hand whipped towards Lucy, controlling the flames, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Her eyes clamped shut as she braced for the pain, but it never came.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Standing before her was a man, maybe a little older than her, with bright pink, spiky hair.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she watched the new comer _eat _the fire.

She heard both the attacker and Kendra say, "Salamander." _So he's the real Salamander from Fairy Tail. That means he's a Dragon Slayer. _

Lucy actually knew a bit about those types of mages, thanks to Kendra.

He turned back to her and asked, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

_He's actually really cute. _It took her a couple of seconds to realize she was staring, so she simply shook her head. "No, he didn't hurt me."

The pinkett gave her a strange look, "You're weird." A huge grin lit his face. "I like that." He missed her incredulous look since to turned back to the other man. "Hey, Happy, any idea who this guy is?"

That's when she noticed the blue cat that was hanging on to the guys back.

Her jaw dropped even more when the cat spoke, "Well, I think he's Bora the Prominence. He used to be in a guild, but was kicked out for taking part in human trafficking. I think you should kick his butt, Natsu."

Bora didn't seem to like that idea, in fact he'd started sprinting from the building before Happy had finished speaking. He slammed the doors shut after him. Lucy and Kendra's laughter following behind him.

Natsu was looking at them like they were crazy. Kendra moved so they could could lean on each other until their laughter died down.

"Ohhh," Kendra managed to get out. "That was great." She turned to the guest. "Thank you for that. I thought I would have to toss his ass. I'm Kendra, this is Lucy, and I bet I know why you're here, so I'll leave you to it," with that cryptic message, she left, heading back towards her room.

Lucy was left alone with the strange man and she didn't know what to do or say. His head was cocked to the side like he wasn't sure what he was looking at. The only one who seemed to have any kind of confidence in the situation was the cat. He walked right over to her and introduced himself, "I'm Happy, the Catmander."

She bent down and shook his small paw, "I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

Looking up she saw that the pinkett was grinning again. That's when she noticed his sharper than usual canine teeth. _Those look painful. _

He walked over to her, but instead of trying to shake her hand, like she was expecting, he moved to hug her, inhaling deeply at her neck. A small thrill went through her, a touch of arousal surged in her. It didn't make anything sense to her, she'd been around plenty of men before, but none of them had ever made her feel like that.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

He didn't answer, didn't pull back, but he did mumble some things under his breath, "I thought so, you are the one."

"What am I?" she asked, barely audible, but he heard just fine.

He pulled back and looked in her eyes, "My mate."

Lucy's breath started to come in quick, shallow pants. She knew exactly what that meant, and was not prepared to deal with it, so she did the only thing she could think of, she ran.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but it's late and I have to go," with those words she was gone.

Natsu watched the blonde run up a sight of stairs, so stunned he wasn't able to move. _Why would she run from me? _Happy came and patted him on the leg.

"It's not you, ya know," a voice said from the door that Kendra had gone through earlier. He turned to see the woman leaning on the door frame. "She's had to deal with a lot of shit heads sent by her father. I don't think she's ever known a decent man, so you showing up here saying that she's your mate, it's hard for her to believe you might actually be interested in her."

She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, in her other hand she had a bag kind of like the type he usually took on jobs. It smelled like Lucy.

"Take this and go get her, camp out tonight and try to get to know each other. Then take her to Fairy Tail, you've only got a week to get settled before you'll be dealing with your season, so use it well," with a final nod, she walked away.

Not bothering to stop and think about what he was about to do, Natsu threw the pack onto his back and headed up the stairs. Lucy's scent filled the hall, but he could still figure out where she was. It didn't take him long to find her room.

He could hear her pacing, her breathing and heart rate faster than he liked. It sounded like she was on her way to full blown hysterics.

Natsu opened her door as quietly as possible, catching her when she sped right into him. They fell to the ground, he made sure that she wouldn't be hurt.

"Oh my God! What are you doing in here? I thought you'd be gone by now," she moved off him, then helped him back up.

He grinned down at her, "Of course I'm still here. You're my mate and I'm not leaving here without you."

She floundered at that and he thought she looked really cute, which was a little strange since he never thought anyone was cute before.

"L-look, I think you should probably go, I can't think right now, and you being here isn't helping matters." She turned away from him again, probably expecting him to leave, but he wouldn't do that. In fact her trying to send him away again set him off.

He felt flames lighting up his pants, it caught on the carpet but was snuffed out. Alarms rang out and Lucy turned to look at him. The second she turned his way, Natsu grabbed her up bridal style and headed down and out.

She tried to talk him down, but he wasn't listening, at least to her. There was a stream not too far off and that's where they were heading. He'd camped out there before and the night was perfect for stargazing. Natsu figured it would be a great place to talk.

"You know, I can walk," he looked down at her, gauging her expression. She didn't look scared and the only thing he could smell on her was excitement, so he let her down, but he didn't slow his pace.

Lucy kept up with him no problem and they made it to the clearing in under twenty minutes. She took the pack and told him to make a fire. He smiled at the command and got to work.

It took less than five minutes to get the fire going. He was surprised to see that she'd had the rest of the camp set up. There was one sleeping bag and a couple of blankets, with a thin mat under them.

_Looks like I'm on the ground tonight._

She sat on the mat and patted the seat next to her. Happy went over without hesitation, but Natsu held back a little. He didn't want to rush anymore than he already had.

"Come on, I don't bite."

He finally made his move and took his seat. "Let's talk."


	2. It's A Little Crazy, But It's Home

Chapter 2

It's A Little Crazy, But It's Home

Lucy was almost positive it was all a dream. There was no way she was finally out of that prison. Freed by someone not sent by her father. It was a little unbelievable.

Then there was the man sitting next to her. He seemed very nervous, his hands trembling like they were bursting with energy. She would notice him glance at her and then quickly look away, but every time he opened his mouth to say something he would shut it and look away.

"Well," she started, "Can I at least learn your name, or should I just call you hot stuff?"

It had the desired effect and he started laughing.

"I'm Natsu, and you're Lucy."

He was actually looking at her now, and she was really starting to feel the heat. _Maybe it was better when he wouldn't look at me. _The intensity of his gaze was really affecting her, especially below the belt. Of course the front of her shirt wasn't doing a great job of hiding her feelings either.

_What the fuck!? What's wrong with me? It's not even cold out and my nipples are trying to tear through my shirt. _Lucy felt heat pooling in her core. She was confused, and considering she'd never had that kind of reaction, was understandable. Hell, she'd never had a boyfriend before being sent away.

Suddenly, the sound of her stomach growling filled the somewhat tense silence. A dark red blush overtook her face and she looked down.

A sweet chuckle washed over her, pulling her gaze up to meet a pair of green eyes. "I guess I should go get us some food, eh Luigi?"

The blonde found herself nodding along as he got up to go, then she got what he just said. "Hey! My name's Lucy!"

"Whatever you say, Luce," he said with a little wave.

The sounds of the night overtook her. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Natsu went off hunting, searching for something not too big and not too small.

_What's going on with me? Ever since I met her, I've been going nuts. Her scent's driving me crazy. _He got lost in his thoughts, and in general. _Everything about her is making me lose my mind; her smile, her hair, even her eyes. I never noticed any of that with anyone else. And my dick's never been this hard!_

One more step, and the ground went out from under him. He rolled down a fairly steep hill, not even trying to slow himself down. His back hit the hard ground and he just laid there, staring up at the sky.

A few minutes, or hours, later, he felt someone settle in beside didn't even turn his head, he knew who it was.

"You didn't have to ditch me," her soft voice rang out after a little while. "If you wanted to be alone you could have just told me."

Natsu turned to look at her.

Before he could explain, she was talking again. "You know, my mom used to sit like this with me and point out the constellations. She told me it would help me with my magic."

"You use magic?" he found himself asking.

Brown eyes met his, and the breath was sucked from his body. There were tears in her eyes.

Natsu's hand snaked out and pulled her close.

"Yeah, I'm a celestial mage. My mom used to be one, and when she passed I inherited her contracts."

"Contacts?"

She cuddled closer to him, drawing in some warmth. It had been a long time since she'd been held and before she had a chance to respond, she was asleep.

Natsu was surprised when he heard her breathing mellow out. He'd never had anyone fall asleep while talking to him before. _So that's what that feels like._

Slowly, so he didn't wake her, he stood and started the trek back to their camp. When they got back, he placed her on the bedding, then turned to get the fire started. He was a little surprised to see that she had put the fire out before coming to find him, not many people would have thought of it.

As a soft glow fell over the camp, Natsu turned to his sleeping companion. _She looks so peaceful._

The pinket carefully stripped the blonde and himself, leaving them both in their underwear. He scooted under the blanket and drew her close. Before closing his eyes, he drew in the campfire. Natsu was asleep within minutes.

Lucy woke up feeling like she was caught somewhere between heaven and hell. On one hand, she was half laying on the most comfortable pillow of all time, but on the other, she was burning up.

_Why is it so hot?_

She cracked one of her eyes and got a good look at what, or who, she was laying on. The blonde nearly screamed, but then she remembered the previous night's events.

Lucy positioned herself above the man, taking some time to truly inspect him. _He really is cute._

Suddenly, the young woman found herself trapped, her arms held above her head, green eyes searching through brown. That's about the time Lucy realized what they both were, or weren't, wearing.

"What the hell!? Where are my clothes?" she yelled.

Natsu barely reacted, too busy checking her out. He leaned in real close, his nose grazing her throat. A shiver went through her, and she tried to suppress a moan of pleasure, but failed.

He grew more bold, kissing and nibbling on the column of her neck. Lucy was quickly losing herself to the pleasure, though she wanted more, so she shifted to where she could get her lips to meet his, and she really was lost.

The scent of cinnamon and sugar surrounded him, pulling him from his deep sleep. Natsu felt someone watching him, but it didn't alarm him for some reason. In the blink of an eye, he had her under him, and he was really enjoying the position.

Something deep inside him made him lean in and start licking and kissing her neck, well actually, it wanted him to go much further, but he held back. Lucy's moans and gasps of pleasure made it much harder to ignore the little voice. Then her mouth was covering his and the voice was drowned out.

The pair was lost, both experiencing their first kiss. Lucy because she never met anyone worth kissing, and Natsu just never had any interest. Soon they started to experiment. Natsu ran his tongue across her lips, wanting, needing, to taste more of her. He was becoming intoxicated by the woman beneath him.

Of course, that's when Happy decided to make his grand entrance.

The small, blue Exceed had seen it all from the air, and while it was surprising, he still needed to tease his partner. "They looove each other," he faux whispered behind his paw.

It startled Lucy so bad she tried to crawl away from the pinket, but she was just pulled back under him. That's about the time she realized that she was just wearing her underwear. She let out a scream and kicked the young man away, which was no small feat, considering he was pure muscle. Looking around, she found the small pile of clothes and quickly put them on.

Refusing to turn around and face the person that had caught her in such a compromising position, she began to clean up the camp. After throwing Natsu's clothes at him without looking, she rolled up the sleeping bag and mat, folded up the blankets, and stuffed them in the pack.

A loud growl tore through the quiet clearing, and the blonde's face turned bright red. _That's right, I never ate last night._

"Wow," it was the same child like voice as before. "That was kinda scary. Who's the creepy blonde, Natsu?" Looking over, Lucy saw that it was the same small cat as yesterday.

"Hey! If anyone's creepy it's you, you talking fur ball!" she yelled.

The fur ball in question cowered behind his bigger friend, but Lucy saw that he was smirking.

"He's not a fur ball, he's my friend," Natsu informed her. "And his name is Happy. Happy this is Luce, I'm keeping her."

Lucy almost fell over at that. "W-what!? You can't just keep me! I'm not some possession, I'm a human being!"

Natsu realized he must have said something wrong by the way tears started to fill her eyes, so he went over and wrapped her in a tight hug. She tried to pull away, but he wasn't letting that happen.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I just meant that you're my mate, so I want to stay close to you. It's not because I think I own you or anything." She relaxed after that, allowing him to hold her for a little bit longer, but she pulled away before he was ready.

"I guess we should start heading for your guild."

Natsu wanted to argue, but he noticed Happy shaking his head at him, so he sucked it up and picked up the pack and grabbed her hand and started walking.

For the most part, he zoned out, letting the sounds of Lucy's and Happy's voices wash over him.

"So what's this guild called again?" Lucy asked Happy. She would have asked Natsu, but he seemed really out of it.

"Fairy Tail. You'll really like it, there are a lot of weirdos there."

"Hey!"

The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, only broken when she would ask another question about their destination.

By the time they made it to a small shack, Lucy's feet were on fire. After she tripped over herself a couple of times, she found herself being lifted into Natsu's arms. She opened her mouth to protest, but decided it would be more trouble than it was worth, and chose to cuddle into his chest.

"Hey Happy, why don't you go on ahead? We'll meet you at the guild in a little bit," Natsu spoke for the first time in hours.

Happy looked like he was about to protest, but something in his friend's eyes made him stop. "Aye sir! I'll meet you there."

Heat spread through Lucy's cheeks as she realized they were alone again. She motioned for him to set her down, and surprisingly he did. Lucy tried to step away, but hands wrapped around her waist.

"Natsu?"

He didn't respond, just led her over to a hammock. Without a word, he lifted her on to it, and turned away.

Lucy moved off the netting, and looked around.

It was a small house. There only appeared to be two rooms: the main room and a bathroom.

_He's a hoarder. _She turned to check the other side of the room, when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. A nose traced her neck, up one side, down the other, making her shudder.

Lucy leaned into him, but when the nose turned to lips, her body took over and she did what instinct demanded. "Lucy KICK!"

Natsu found himself flying back towards the wall. The only reason it happened in the first place was because he didn't think she had it in her. _Well, I won't make that mistake again. _He rubbed the back of his head.

The look of complete and total shock was more than enough to make up for the brief pain he felt. "Geez, Luce. You could have just told me I was going too far, you didn't need to send me flying."

Her face was bright red and her mouth was opening and closing like a fish.

"I-I'm so sorry. I've just had to deal with so many creeps in the last year, and it's become a force of habit."

She moved to cup his face, moving his head to the side to see if there was any damage, not realizing where she was forcing his face. Natsu wasn't about to complain though, nope, he was just going to sit there and enjoy the pillow.

It took her awhile, but Lucy figured out why he wasn't moving, namely, he was getting a great view. Blushing, she pushed him away.

"I guess we better be going," she said while pulling them both up.

He just nodded his head in agreement and they were on their way.

She stopped him just before they made it too town. "What's it like, Fairy Tail?"

The pinket was thoughtful for awhile, and then he said the most reassuring thing he possibly could have, "Well, it's a little crazy, but it's home."

**A/N: OMG! I can't believe how long it took me to write this. I promise to do better in the future, I just started working full time and before that my primary writing device decided to stop working. All and all, writing hasn't been easy lately. Also, if you're waiting on my Laxus story, you'll have to wait awhile.**


	3. A Few New Faces

Chapter 3

A Few New Faces

"Well, that's encouraging," the blonde muttered to herself. The only thing that kept her from completely freaking out was the knowledge that she would be meeting up with a bunch of old friends.

Lucy couldn't stop wringing her hand, and the closer they got to the guild, the worse it got. She was working herself into a full blown panic attack, when Natsu grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" he asked, staring in her eyes, searching out the truth.

She would have said she was fine, because that was what she was used to, but something told her that he would actually see and call her on the lie; so, she chose to tell the truth.

"I'm nervous about meeting your guildmates."

He looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"What do ya mean? You don't have to worry about anyone in Fairy Tail," he hit her with a bright, beautiful smile. "We're all family, and if anyone does something you don't like, just let me know and I'll take care of them."

Natsu's grin was infectious, and Lucy felt all her fears fading away. He pulled her through the town, Magnolia, pointing out the best places for food and to just hang out. There were a couple of landmarks; like Kardia Cathedral and the giant cherry blossom that would change colors in a few months.

As he pulled her around, Lucy found herself falling in love with the modest town. She asked Natsu about everything, until they were finally standing outside the guild hall.

He gave her one final grin before he kicked in the door, "Hey everybody, we're home!"

A few people responded, but most just went about their business. Lucy quickly spotted Mira behind the bar and made her way that direction. When Mira spotted her, she let out a loud squeal, ran around the bar, and nearly tackled the blonde when she went to hug her.

"Lucy! I'm so glad you're here!" Mira, always the gossip, couldn't help but ask, "Natsu brought you? I knew he disappeared yesterday, but I never thought he would have made his way to the castle."

She was looking at her with so much anticipation, Lucy felt her mouth go dry and she had no idea how to respond.

That's when she felt an arm drape itself across her shoulders, but she recognized the slightly smoky scent. _Natsu._

"Hey, Mira," he said casually. "Have you met my Luce? She's kinda weird, but I'm keeping her anyway."

Lucy glared at him and she was about to tell him off, when Mira let out a loud high pitched squeal. The barmaid wrapped the pair in an incredibly tight embrace.

When she finally released them, she grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her behind the bar, shooing Natsu off when he tried to follow.

"Sorry Natsu," she giggled. "Girl talk."

Natsu looked like he was going to argue, but before he got the chance a shirt ended up draped over his head. He sniffed the shirt and he didn't appear to like what he smelled. Flames practically erupted out of him as he threw the shirt back at a guy who was basically naked.

"Watch where you're throwing your shit, Stripper!" he yelled as the flaming cloth hit the other guy in the face.

"Fuck you, Flame Brain!" the guy yelled back.

"Gray, your clothes," the brown haired beauty next to him said. Lucy might have thought she would be able to rein this Gray person in, but then she hoisted a huge wine barrel above her head and started chugging.

It looked like a brawl was forming, and Lucy had no intention of getting mixed up in it. She chose to stay behind the counter with Mira and just watch.

The whe guild seemed to be gearing up, when a thunderous voice rang out, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Lucy looked up to see the largest person she'd ever seen, though to call it a person would be a stretch. She knew her mouth was wide open, but she couldn't force herself to close it.

"Oh," Mirajane quietly gasped. "I didn't realize you were still here, Master."

Lucy shot her friend an incredulous look. "_He's _the master?"

The gigantic being seemed to notice her for the first time. "Oho, what's this? A new member?"

Lucy could only nod as Mira said, "Mmhm"

That's when person let a huge grin split his face, and incredibly, he started to shrink. He went from twenty feet to ten, to six, he kept shrinking until he was just about waist high to Lucy.

_He's tiny._

The now small man grinned up at her and gave a small wave. "Hiya."

Lucy found that she could only wave back.

With a quick nod, he did a strange backflip thing onto a upper floor railing, or he tried to, but he ended up hitting the banister instead. He recovered well and stood to face the guild.

"Do you see these?" he yelled, holding up a rather large stack of papers. "You brats have the Council breathing down my neck, again! Look at all this paperwork; Hargeon nearly blown up, Crocus frozen over, and don't even get me started on the Everloo fiasco."

Lucy cringed, remembering all the times her father had lectured her in a similar way, and she was prepared for a new onslaught, but it never came.

She looked up out of curiosity and found the master grinning. Suddenly, the stack of paper burst into flames. He tossed the burning mass aside.

Natsu lept up and grabbed it in his mouth like a dog. A grin broke across Lucy's face.

"You know what I say about that? Forget the Council. The power to overcome reason is born from reason. Magic isn't a miracle. When the spiritual flow within us and spiritual flow in nature connects, they will form an embodiment for the first time. You will need a strong mentality and a lot of concentration for that. I mean, pouring all of your soul into whatever you do, _is _the magic.

"If you keep worrying about the watchful eyes of the higher ups, your magic will never improve." The master grinned down on all the guild. "Do not fear the fools on the council. Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Guild!"

A loud cheer went up, and the guild became even louder than before.

The Master made his way back to where Lucy was standing. After a few basic questions, he gave a quick nod and went on his way.

Mira motioned her over, "So, where do you want the guild mark?"

Lucy thought about it and after a minute, she decided on her hand, so she would always be able to see it and think about her new family. She picked pink because it was her favorite color.

She searched out Natsu, excited to show him her mark. He was a few tables over, going to town on a large plate of food.

Lots of people smiled at her as she made way over to the pinkette.

Lucy couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face as she waved her hand in front of Natsu's face. "Check it out Natsu! Now I'm officially part of the guild!"

Natsu barely looked up while he mumbled, "That's great, Luigi."

"THE NAMES LUCY!"

That got his attention and he gave her a sheepish look, "Sorry Luce."

_How can I stay mad at him when he looks so damn cute?_

That's the time most of the guild decided to come and introduce themselves, or to catch up in a few cases.

The man who threw his shirt off earlier was Gray, and when he managed to take off his pants in the short time it took him to introduce himself, Lucy came to the conclusion that he had a stripping problem.

"Gray-sama, your clothes," this came from an old friend at The Castle. Juvia had been taken out not too long before Lucy and even though they had their share of differences, Lucy really had missed the water mage.

Next came the Strauss siblings and their partners. Mira introduced her to a quiet, well mannered man with green hair named Freed. The man with Lisanna was quite the character; he was wearing something akin to a jester's costume, with a helmet that hid strange blue hair and some crazy eyes.

"It's manly to introduce yourself," this came from Elfman. Lucy had seen him a couple of times, but they'd never actually met.

Standing next to the behemoth was Evergreen, who was rolling her eyes. She reminded Lucy of a lot of the girls she had grown up with, so she hadn't spent a lot of time with the older girl.

She met so many people in a short period of time her head began to swim, but the most memorable was the last.

He wasn't very tall, a few inches taller than her, slender. His orangish hair was spiked and he was wearing sunglasses indoors. Where most people settled to greet her with a handshake, he grabbed her hand and gave it a quick, yet sensual kiss.

"Hello, Princess," he said with a wink. "If you need anything, you just let your faithful servant Loke know, and I'll take care of it."

She felt a jolt, though she knew it didn't have anything to do with the kiss. Taking a chance to really look at him, she couldn't help but feel like she knew him from somewhere.

Natsu growled behind her and she quickly pulled her hand back. Lucy felt an arm wrap around her shoulders before she was pulled behind him.

"Don't touch her!" his voice was deep and rough. Lucy knew she should be frightened, but she was just so confused. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and a small sound rang out.

Loke glanced down at her waist and his eyes widened in fear. At first, Lucy thought it was because of her whip, but when he looked back up at her face, she knew it had nothing to do with the bit of leather.

"Y-you a-aren't a Celestial Mage, are you?" his voice cracked, and it was hard to believe this was the same guy who tried to seduce her with a kiss to the hand not even a minute earlier.

Lucy simply nodded. "Yeah, why did you want to know?"

He completely ignored her question, seeming to be trapped in a memory. Lucy's kind nature came into play and she reached out comfort the scared man, but stopped when she heard a deep growl fill the air.

Natsu thought he was doing pretty well, considering how weird he was feeling. Something had been off in him the moment they stepped through the door.

At least half of his concentration stayed with Lucy at all times, even when he was fighting Gray. It wasn't so bad when she was around Mira, he felt as relaxed as he ever did, but when she made her way over to him, he noticed something.

All the god damned stares. Every single man in the guild was looking at her like she was a piece of meat. He caught a few whispers about her, and was so focused on trying to figure out who it was, that he didn't pay attention to what she was saying.

"That's great, Luigi."

"THE NAME'S LUCY!"

He snapped out of his stupor and got a good look at an angry.

_She's really cute when she's angry. I wonder if she'd get that flushed for any other reason? What am I thinking?_

He smiled up at her with what he knew was his most sheepish smile. "Sorry, Luce."

She took in a deep breath to calm herself, and Natsu caught himself watching her chest rise and fall. He was really losing it. He never thought about another woman like that. In most cases, he barely even noticed the difference between the sexes, only thinking about how it would be to fight them.

Natsu did his best to focus on his food while the members of the guild took it upon themselves to introduce themselves, trying to figure out why he wanted to beat the crap out of everyone who touched her. He thought he had gotten it mostly under control when Loke strolled up.

He wasn't holding back, using all his skill to try and seduce the blond, and Natsu knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer.

The breaking point came when his lips touched the back of her hand, right in the center of her new guild mark.

Natsu wasn't even aware what was happening, one second he was sitting watching the blonde, the next he had pulled her behind him and was growling at the man before him.

_He touched what's mine! _

"Don't touch her!"

Natsu's already short fuse was non-existent. He was one step away from attacking his guildmate.

The scent of fear filled the air and it nearly pushed him over the edge.

He heard Lucy say something, but he was so lost to the scent he couldn't focus on what she said. Natsu noticed her hand reaching out for the other man and everything went red.

When asked about it later, Natsu would say he didn't remember attacking Loke, though very few would believe him, it was the truth.

The next thing he remembered was one of Gray's Ice Shields being in front of him and Loke's nose dipping blood.

Lucy's hands were on his shoulders, like she was trying to hold him back. He looked back at Loke and saw that he still looked terrified, but his gaze was centered on the blonde.

She stepped around Natsu and he took off, waxing poetic about how it just wasn't meant to be.

The shield melted away and everyone went back to what they had been doing. Only Lucy looked like she cared about what just happened, everyone else was so used to that kind of thing they just ignored it.

Not long after that, the couple, minus one cat who was still eating, made their way back to Natsu's.

"Soooo," Lucy drawled. "Are we going to talk about what happened back there?"

The pinkette gave her a funny look, "What do ya mean? Did something weird happen?" He didn't remember anything out of the ordinary. Fairy Tail was just the same as it always was.

She looked at him like he had two heads or something, so he reached up and touched his shoulders just to be sure.

"Are you kidding me? You totally attacked that guy! Not to mention you started a brawl when we first got there!"

"Yeah, so?"

"That doesn't strike you as strange?"

He could only shake his head no.

She rolled her eyes and popped her hip, drawing his attention to the jangling that came with the movement.

"What's with the keys?"

His question caught her off guard.

"Th-these? I told you about them yesterday. These are my keys to my Celestial Spirits."

"Celestial spirits?"

"Yeah," she pulled the keys out of their pouch and he moved closer, liking her shiver when he did. "These three are called Silver Gate Keys. They're fairly common, and you can buy them almost anywhere. But these gold ones, they're super rare. There are only twelve of them in the whole world, and I'm lucky enough to have three."

Natsu was standing right next to her, his breath tickled her neck and she tried not to show just how much it affected her.

Suddenly, he turned and started tearing through what looked like a pile of trash. Natsu was throwing things all over the place and mumbling about where he left something.

Lucy watched with a mix of horror and amazement. _How can he be okay with living in such a filthy place?_

"Aha!" she jumped at his exclamation.

He turned to her with the biggest grin she'd ever seen splitting his face. Her heart seemed to stutter in her chest. She felt almost trapped by that smile, it was harder to breathe, and she couldn't move as he made his way back to her.

Natsu grabbed her hand and led her to an empty spot on the floor. He settled down and pulled her with him.

Once they were settled, he handed her a box that had seen better days. Lucy was sure it had been beautiful once, but hadn't been kept in the best condition. It was about the size of a very large matchbox.

He was looking at her like a child on Christmas, his excitement was palpable. His dark eyes danced and she found herself really wanting to kiss him, but she held back.

"Go on," his voice thundered in the silent house. "Open it."

Her fingers slid over the worn wood and she slowly flipped the lid. What she saw had her gasping, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Nestled in the old velvet, were four gate keys.

Lucy looked back and forth between the man and the keys several times before she threw herself at him. She pulled him close, and in the heat of the moment, she sealed their lips.

The blond realized what she was doing and pulled away quickly. Natsu appeared really dazed and Lucy felt like he was looking right through her.

The fire in his eyes returned with a vengeance, but before he could do anything about it Lucy got busy inspecting the keys.

There were two gold and two silver. The silver ones were Con Nicholi, Canis Minor, and Pyxis, the Compass, but it was the gold ones that really got her attention. He had Virgo, the Maiden, and Sagittarius, the Archer.

Lucy lightly stroked the keys before turning back to the pinkette. "Where did you get these?"

"I can't remember where I got the silver ones, but I got gold ones for rewards on jobs. Are they good ones?"

She was surprised when it sounded like he actually was interested. The last few years, every time she talked about her magic she was met with either disinterest or hostility, so his excitement was infectious and welcome.

"Well, that's hard to say," Lucy explained. "The silver's aren't all that powerful, but gold's have a big difference in power and skills. Every one of them are different."

"Let's find out who you got then," he was so excited he was bouncing in his seat.

Lucy was confused though, "What do you mean? These are _your _keys. Don't you just want me to show you how to use them?"

"What do _you _mean?" he sounded just as confused as she felt. "I got my own magic, and I don't need 'em. You're such a weirdo."

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

"You're really willing to give these to me?"

"Sure," he crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back against the wall. "Now come on, let's see what you can do."

Lucy grabbed the keys and stood. She placed each key between the fingers of her right hand.

Striking a special stance, she began her chant, "I call upon thee in the world of the celestial spirits, I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" With a flourish and the sound of a door bell, she called out, "Open gates of the Archer, the Maiden, Canis Minor, and the Compass; Sagittarius, Virgo, Con Nicholi, and Pyxis."

The room filled with a brilliant light. It disappeared suddenly and four new people were standing in the small room. There was a small snowman looking thing, a strange bird with a compass on its head, a beautiful pink haired woman in a maid's uniform, and a man with a horse costume and legs.

"Woowww," two voices harmonized. Lucy turned and saw that Happy had shown up and was perched on Natsu's shoulder.

The maid bowed formally, "Excuse me, Mistress, but might I suggest you complete the contracts with Sagittarius and I first, so you don't run out of magic energy too fast."

"Good idea," Lucy said grinning. She turned to Sagittarius, "Are there any days you are unavailable, or any reason I shouldn't call on you?"

He shook his head and saluted somewhere to his side, "Nay, my lady. Anytime you have a need, you may call on me. I will bid you farewell and hope to be of service soon." With that he faded from sight.

"Thanks Sagittarius," she turned to the other Zodiac. "What about you Virgo? Are there any days you have an issue with? And could you maybe drop the "Mistress" thing?"

"What about Queen? Princess?"

"Oh yeah," Lucy had a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "That'll work."

A small, "Yeah right," came from behind her, but she chose to ignore it.

"Princess, I aim to please, so call on me whenever you have need." She bowed once again and was about to leave when she turned back, "Would you like to punish me now?"

"NO!"

"Oh well, maybe next time," with that, she disappeared.

Lucy felt the drain on her magic lessen. Even though it took less magic to set up a contract, to summon two zodiacs at once was a real challenge. She got through the final two contracts fairly quickly and all but collapsed from the drain on her energy.

Natsu caught her easily and held her in his lap. "Are you okay, Luce? You use up a lot of energy there."

She just mumbled unintelligibly and nestled into him.

He was trying to focus on her reaction, but just being around her was affecting him in ways he'd never experienced before. Her smell was calling to him, she really did smell just like spice cake. _I wonder how she tastes._

Never one to ignore his impulses, he didn't even try to stop himself when he went to lick the side of her neck. _Delicious. _

He scooped her up and brought her to his hammock.

"I don't think this is going to work, Natsu," Happy told his friend. "We can't all share a hammock, not for long anyway."

He might not want to admit it, but Happy was right. "It'll do for now."

Laying her in the netting as gently as possible, Natsu took a step back and watched her settle in.

"Natsu," she let out a little sigh before her breathing evened out.

It was hard for him to catch his breath, then Happy had to go and ruin it for him.

"They loooove each other."

Before Natsu could get back at him, he flew to the sleeping girl and cuddled up close. The pinkette watched a few minutes more, then with more care than he would usually take, he crawled in with the pair. He pulled them in close, and drifted off to sleep, feeling more peaceful than he could ever remember being.

* * *

A/N: It's been quite awhile, and I'm really sorry about that.

It might take me a little while, but I should be able to update a bit faster this time. I think this story will be my priority, since it takes place at just about the same time as Home, Love, and Dragons and When Lightning Strikes, Thunder Rolls, I want to get it caught up to the other two, which will take a few chapters. Unlike my other stories, this one is more of a slow burn.

If you get the chance, I'd love a review.


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